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The sad thing is, the gear that I have as "toys" is more expensive than most of the gear I use practically, which I mostly didn't spend anything for.
My main setup:
Game Boy - Gotten on my fifth birthday.
Sega Genesis - Free from my brother's ex girlfriend
Kaoss Pad - Traded for a guitar
Mixer - $45 from a used music store
My other hobby is checking in on 2 consignment, 2 charity, and 3 Good Will stores on my way home from work about once a week. Sell the cool stuff you find and don't want and use that money to buy other cool stuff. Repeat. 
I like that my interests pay for themselves.
big fan of the "if your not using it, sell it on ebay, cause you can always buy it later for cheaper" theory. So I am not using any GBC, my atari, or my sk1 (all of which I found at thrift shops), So I sold them and bought gear I am using right now.
yay
you can actualy make chip music for free (trackers and such)
me personaly i have a job and do freelance production work 
I don't drink alcohol or do drugs.
I always seem to have cash left over for gear thanks to this.
The key as many people have stated, is only using and owning what you need (to a certain extent). It's much more important to have a setup that works and that you feel best showcases your work.
In short, sometimes more doesn't necessarily mean better. So stop worrying about how much gear you've got and how much it costs, and just focus on writing with what you have. The second I dumped all of the VSTs and guitars, and just started focusing on writing purely on a Game Boy was the best move I ever made.
I've got 28 gameboys for no reason.
I'm sure everyone will join me in saying, good for you. 
I think some of us are a little older? Im in my 30s, so my "set up" of a little casio synth, a couple of cheap mixers, 2 guitar pedals, a mini kp and a little box of handhelds probably cost me about 1000 bucks at the outside over about 5 years?
Oh, I forgot to answer the "How" part.
I sell propane and propane accessories.
this is something that drives me insane
i work 40+ hours a week as a lab tech, and i also get soundtrack jobs... yet i still struggle with even being able to buy a new pair of headphones (mine are broken) - i say the trick to be able to afford gear is to not have to pay rent or bills - try to stay at your parents house
